Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Eighteen: Let’s Talk Things Over

"You're absolutely right, it's foolish not to take advantage," Wang Jue nodded in agreement.

If not for the unexpected acquisition of the cultivation method "Stellar Soul Technique," Wang Jue would now be troubled over this very issue. But now that he'd resolved his greatest dilemma, his next goal was to consider which martial technique he should cultivate.

In fact, if Luo Shui hadn't mentioned that teachers could provide martial techniques, Wang Jue had already decided in his heart to visit a martial arts shop after school and buy one. He hadn't expected that simply breaking through to the Tempering Body Realm would entitle him to receive a martial technique from the school—for him, this was excellent news and not an opportunity to be missed.

Even the cheapest basic martial technique cost a hundred credit points; buying two or three would make Wang Jue's heart ache for some time.

"Heh, I know you have no idea where to go. Don't worry, I'll take you there after this. For now, let me have a look," Luo Shui said, taking a few long-legged strides to Wang Jue's side. She reached out and squeezed his arm, then patted his chest. Compared to before his breakthrough, the feel had indeed changed remarkably. "Not bad. I never would have guessed—you've got more to you than I thought."

"Alright, that's enough. You're a woman—shouldn't you be embarrassed to grope a man like this?" Wang Jue couldn't endure Luo Shui's brazen behavior. Was she not treating him like a man, or had she forgotten she was a woman?

After Wang Jue dodged away, Luo Shui showed no displeasure. Instead, she thrust out her ample chest with pride. "What now? You don't appreciate it? I'll have you know, you should feel honored! But if you think you're being taken advantage of, I can let you have a feel too."

Wang Jue instinctively glanced at Luo Shui's chest, then quickly shifted his gaze to her face. Without considering her personality, Wang Jue had to admit Luo Shui was stunning—her long black hair cascaded down, her features were fair and exquisite, with phoenix eyes and cherry lips. She looked like a two-dimensional beauty stepped right out of a manga from his previous life.

Seeing Luo Shui's ambiguous expression, Wang Jue couldn't help but risk a retort: "Forget it. I don't mean to target anyone in particular, but personally, I have no interest in an airport runway."

Airport runway?

Luo Shui was momentarily stunned, not comprehending what "airport runway" meant.

Seizing the chance, Wang Jue—well acquainted with Luo Shui's character—quietly retreated a few steps, putting some distance between them, his face wary of the impending danger.

After a moment.

"Bah! You're the airport runway!" Luo Shui finally reacted, cursing angrily, her cheeks flushing red as she snapped, "Idiot! Are you blind? How am I flat? If you don't explain yourself today, you're dead!"

"Explain? Explain what?" Wang Jue, emboldened, continued to test the limits: "Honestly, while you're more developed than most your age, it's only within your age group. If you think you're something, try comparing yourself to the high school girls. Don't be too insecure."

"Heh... You've really grown bold in the past few days, haven't you?" Luo Shui's tone turned icy, tinged with menace. "Looks like we'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way. If I don't show you 'why the flowers are so red' today, I'll write my name backward!"

Doomed!

A bead of cold sweat slid down Wang Jue's forehead. Why had he provoked this 'tyrannosaurus'? Especially after recalling the 'blood and tears' history of his predecessor's encounters with Luo Shui, his sense of foreboding only grew. Despite their close relationship, when it came down to it, she never held back.

Had his recent increase in strength made him arrogant and reckless?

"Look... Luo Shui, let's talk this out. Resorting to violence would only hurt our friendship. Let's just discuss things, okay?" Wang Jue immediately backed down, trying desperately to talk his way out of trouble.

How could he have forgotten that, aside from her body, Luo Shui's personality and explosive temper were more like a man's than a woman's?

"No need. I think fists are the best way to reason things out," Luo Shui said, closing in while her gaze pinned Wang Jue in place. "Don't tell me you think breaking through to the third level of the Tempering Body Realm gives you the right to provoke me? I'm curious where you got this courage."

"I'm warning you, stay back! When I get angry, even I can't control myself. If I accidentally hurt you, it wouldn't end well," Wang Jue said, retreating with no confidence whatsoever, only to find his escape blocked by a large tree.

Luo Shui smiled sweetly at his words. "Is that so? I'm looking forward to it. Go on, give it your best shot!"

As she spoke, Luo Shui's powerful legs propelled her body toward Wang Jue, a fragrant breeze trailing behind her. Her slender, fair hand formed a fist and aimed for Wang Jue's chest.

So fast!

Wang Jue's eyes narrowed; he knew at once he couldn't dodge this punch. Though Luo Shui held back, her sixth-level Tempering Body strength was overwhelming, and her innate talent surpassed Wang Jue's by at least a full tier. Even if she pulled her punches, Wang Jue at his current level could hardly compete.

In a split second, Wang Jue tensed every muscle and brought his arms up to shield his chest, bracing himself to see if he could withstand the blow.

Luo Shui's fist halted lightly at the spot where Wang Jue's arms crossed. Though it seemed a gentle blow, the power behind it was like a mountain collapsing, surging from that fair fist through Wang Jue's arms and slamming into his chest.

His chest tightened, and he staggered back three or four steps before slamming into the tree trunk behind him and finally steadying himself.

The pressure in his chest and the fiery sensation on his back made Wang Jue's face go pale.

Though he'd been driven back, Wang Jue still managed a grin—he'd held out!

Two rounds of stellar energy tempering had greatly enhanced his physique. If this had happened yesterday, he would have been knocked out cold. Now, he only felt a slight numbness in his arms and some tightness in his chest; the burning pain in his back he chose to ignore. After all, anyone who crashed into a tree would feel it.

Seeing that her punch only forced him a few steps back, Luo Shui's smile gave way to surprise. Even with the tree's help, she could tell that without it, he would only have retreated a few steps further, but wouldn't have been felled.

Looking at the ashen-faced Wang Jue, Luo Shui paused, her mouth slightly open and eyes blinking at him for a long moment before she spoke. "If it were the old you, before your breakthrough, you wouldn't have blocked that punch."

"Heh, didn't see that coming, did you?" Wang Jue took the opportunity to shake out his numb arms and grinned. "Let me tell you, the river runs east for thirty years, then west for thirty more—never look down on a youth in hardship. I was just an ordinary person stuck at a bottleneck, but now I'm a martial artist in the Tempering Body Realm."

In his previous life on Earth, he had always wanted to say those words when reading novels, but by then he'd outgrown his adolescent phase. Now, at sixteen, he finally had the chance.

Upon hearing this, Luo Shui's surprise turned to a smile. "In that case, I won't hold back today!"

With that, she lunged at Wang Jue once more.

Perhaps knowing Wang Jue hadn't learned any martial techniques yet, Luo Shui didn't use any formal moves to bully him. Instead, she stuck to basic footwork and the simplest, most straightforward method—trading blows as ordinary people would.

Still, even without using formal techniques, traces of basic boxing naturally colored Luo Shui's attacks.

Seeing her come at him with such momentum, Wang Jue's lips twitched. Was she planning to really let loose now that she'd discovered how resilient he was?

Truly deserving of the title "childhood friend"—she was ruthless!

Wang Jue noticed that her footwork had become far more refined. If her first attack was straightforward, this time she was agile and fluid, almost without pause.

Watching Luo Shui's movements, Wang Jue had no mind for anything else. He realized his weaknesses were glaring—both in cultivation and martial skill, he was a complete novice. If he wanted to become stronger, he had to train diligently.

He knew Luo Shui would soon take him to receive a basic martial technique, and that even after learning one, he wouldn't be her match. Given his current talent, mastering a technique in a short time wasn't likely.

But Luo Shui made a perfect "teacher." Since she was so selflessly "instructing" him, it would be a shame not to learn by observation.

No, not a shame—it would be ungrateful to waste her good intentions!

So, as Wang Jue watched Luo Shui's basic footwork, he began to learn in secret, applying what he saw to dodge her attacks.

At first, he was beaten mercilessly from every angle. But gradually, he began to dodge a punch or two.

Bit by bit, he managed to avoid more and more blows—out of ten, he could now dodge two or three.

This rate of progress left both Luo Shui, the one doing the beating, and Wang Jue, the one being beaten, at a loss. After all, Luo Shui's cultivation was three full levels above his!

A strange thought crossed Luo Shui's mind. Could he be a buried genius?

No, impossible—if he were a genius, he wouldn't have taken nine years to break through.

But if he weren't, how could he nearly master basic footwork in such a short time? It had taken her more than two months to learn it herself.

Wang Jue had no idea what Luo Shui was thinking. He was too busy feeling smug.

Ha! The ancestors were right—gold will always shine.

Who would have thought his cultivation talent was lacking, but when it came to martial techniques, he was a prodigy!